Wow. Green Bay was my first marathon experience. I was 14 when I completed the marathon in 2008; it was so well organized, and an awesome race to run!!

This was the second year I ran this race. I'm in the early stages of the 50 state quest but ran Green Bay again because it's truly a great race. The organization equals or surpasses other marathons I've run. If you are looking to run your first marathon or 100th marathon, I highly recommend this race.

The expo and pasta dinner are both held inside Lambeau. Plenty of vendors at the expo and as much pasta to eat at dinner as you could want. Also available were meetings to go over the course and ask the race director any and all questions.

The race itself begins outside of Lambeau and you can use the indoor bathrooms (or outside port-a-potties) before (and after) the race. Lambeau is a good place to stay warm before the race begins. I experienced no problems at the start of the race and pacing groups are available if you want them. The course itself takes you through a variety of residential areas then runs along a scenic path by the river. Generally it is flat and plenty of musical entertainment is provided along the way. I personally did not run well (upset stomach) but that had nothing to do with the race. The funny part was around mile 20 they offered A&W Root Beer alongside of water and Gatorade at the aid station. In desperation I drank the root beer and was pleased to find out that it settled my stomach and I was then able to complete the race without discomfort. Of course, the best part of the race is running through Lambeau just before the race ends. Friends and family can sit in the stands to watch you run by - pretty cool. Post-race food is fine, and beer and brats are available. I already have this race on my 2010 calendar. The organizers of this race do an outstanding job. 'Nuff said!

This was my first full marathon and it was great! I would definitely recommend this race to any runner. I traveled from Virginia to visit my sister and run this race. Besides the fact that my wonderful family was at certain points to support me along the way, the race was very organized.

The Cellcom had plenty of water, Gatorade, supporters, funny motivational signs, and gels all the way through! There were very few light hills, NICE people, clear markers, great weather... and BEER and brats at the finish!! Only in Green Bay! :)

This is one of my favorite races ever, and it does well in capitalizing on what makes Green Bay special (football, brats, etc.). One suggestion: the starting area could be improved by corral starts (similar to the Memphis Marathon).

Great marathon in every way. I qualified for Boston, so I'm going to be a bit prejudiced, but it would be really hard to find fault with this race. Pre-race pick-up was very well organized. Good-sized expo with some good deals, which seems to be rare. As for the race itself, I was surprised to read some of the comments on a crowded start. The start areas for various predicted finish times were well marked, so unless someone buried themselves in the pack, that didn't seem to be much of an issue. Aid stations were plentiful (18), well manned and well organized. I loved the course. The course itself is not pancake-flat, with some rolls in miles 5-9. A look at the elevation chart can answer any questions in that regard. Crowd support was enthusiastic. There were some sections with very few spectators, but in a city of 100K, that is to be expected. Though I was pushing too hard to savor the experience, running through Lambeau in the last half-mile was very cool. Good food and beer afterward, to top it off.

Pros:
1. For a town of only 100,000 people, Green Bay came out in force to support the runners! Thank you all!
2. The volunteers were the friendliest and most encouraging I have ever seen!
3. Flat, fast course.
4. Very well organized.
5. Excellent post-race festivities.

Cons:
1. The Lambeau experience needs a little work - consider the physiological effects of running from a bright and cold atmosphere on asphalt to a dark and HOT tunnel on hard concrete, then out again, then in again, then out again. A few amenities can solve this.
2. Better signage for mile markers.
3. Start the marathoners at 6:30, then the 5K at 7, and then the half-marathoners at 7:30. The start was too crowded.
4. Need something more than a cotton shirt.
5. Beef up the expo with more marathon apparel, Tyvek, etc.

Had a great time in Green Bay. If you are an out-of-towner, book way in advance, as there are only a few hotels right near the start/finish, and they fill up fast.

Temps were ideal, starting about 40 and ending in the low 50's. Thankfully, the 43 mph wind gusts that were prevalent the day before the race died down to around 12 mph race day.

Logistics for the race are great, as the start/finish/expo are in Lambeau Field. Also, very well priced race, with one free ticket to the pasta party. The nice thing about the pasta party is that they open up a section of the stands at Lambeau Field for your dining pleasure.

The course is fast and mostly flat. I lined up slightly in front of the 4-hour pace group and had absolutely no problems with crowding at the start. There were more spectators than I thought there would be and they were all enthusiastic. Lots of aid stations, as I believe there were a total of 19 for the marathon. It's definitely a fast course, with the first half slightly faster. The only hills are the two bridges and those aren't very long or steep. Much of the second half was run by the river on an asphalt bike trail.

The finish with a lap through Lambeau was a lot of fun, even though there were plenty of half-marathon walkers who insisted on ignoring the 50-foot "Single File Only" signs and would walk obliviously side by side, blocking the marathon runners. Unfortunately, there isn't much the race director can do about rude behavior from the participants.

The race was very well organized, with great post-race brats and beer. Friendly locals, good logistics, free pasta party ticket, reasonable registration fee, lap through Lambeau, fast course... what's not to like?

My only suggestion to the race director are the mile marker signs. Some were marked on large flags high off street level, some were on small signs just lying on the road, and some were missing altogether. I wound up missing over half the mile marker signs. The mile markers should should be consistent, large, visible and ideally on both sides of the street.

In closing, I also want to profusely thank the medical volunteers who helped me post-race with my severe calf cramps and dehydration problems. Thanks for the race director for a fun and well organized event.

This was my first marathon, but it was an excellent experience.
-It was an ideal size (in my opinion). It was not so crowded as to be overwhelming, but there were enough people on the course so that you never felt you were alone.
-The course was very flat and fast.
-Excellent communication prior to the race (weekly e-mail updates with training ideas, motivational sayings, etc).
-They also had a first-rate "first-timers" program that included additional e-mails with more pointers, a Q&A session at the expo, etc.
-Plenty of hotels within walking distance of the festivities (all offered shuttles to the race as well). We stayed at the Cambria Suites, and I would highly recommend the hotel (brand new, very large rooms, and they offered late checkout for all of the participants).
-The crowd support wasn't like what you'd find in a larger race, but everyone was very enthusiastic and vocal. It was also easy for fans to make it to several points throughout the course (my family was able to see me 3 different times).
-The finish at Lambeau was a treat, and the post-race activities were great.

No "true" negatives. As someone else pointed out, some of the mile markers were difficult to find (I'm sure they were there but you had to know where to look for them). The first part of the race is mostly through residential areas so it didn't make for the most exciting running or offer inspiring views, but there were enough people lining the streets to help you get through it.

All in all, I was very impressed and will continue to run this race in coming years.

The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon is really a terrific event. I participated in the marathon for the second straight year in 2009, making it my fifth marathon overall. It was probably not a great idea for me to run in another marathon so soon after I took on the Boston Marathon, as Boston took place less than four weeks earlier. The first time in my life I ran longer than four miles was just under two years ago, so I'm new to all this and I keep having to learn some lessons the hard way. Despite the fact that I suffered a stress fracture over the course of the 2008 Paavo Nurmi Marathon and had to miss four months of training, I couldn't resist and gave Green Bay another go. During those four months of inactivity, I forced in about six ill-advised training runs, and I also ran in the fun Cheesehead 5K in September, something I paid for well in advance, though my participation there wound up setting back the healing process a couple months. My foot held up well as I trained for and participated in Boston, but I aggravated the old injury in training both too soon and too hard after Boston. Now I'm paying the price. Those experts who tell us to take it easy in the immediate aftermath of a marathon really know what they're talking about. :)

Back to Green Bay: The course is really fair, a thousand times flatter than the Paavo Nurmi and Boston. Running through Lambeau Field at the end is a real treat, as are the brats and other refreshments once the run is over. The finisher's medal is terrific, right down to the cool design on the ribbon. Last year's medal hung from a plain white ribbon, so the major upgrade this year was a nice surprise. It's the first medal I've received in any race (5K or marathon) that featured an impressive design on the ribbon. Having just run Boston, it would be impossible for any race to compare as far as crowd support is concerned. There were long stretches without much in the way of spectators, but the race keeps getting a bigger and better name, and I expect the number of spectators to increase, as well. I couldn't have asked for better support from the people who did turn out, though, and as usual, I had lots of tremendously appreciated family support before, during, and after.

I think Sean Ryan, the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon race director, deserves an enormous amount of credit for how positive an experience the Green Bay Marathon is. My main criticisms last year (the first minor, the other more important) had to do with a) the T-shirt we received, which had a small design on the side, near the bottom and b) the lack of instruction for walkers/runners as they entered and made their way through Lambeau Field. I was just ready to really turn it up a notch last year over the course of the last mile, and I had to completely stop a couple of times in order to make my way around walkers who were side-by-side, blocking the way for those behind them. This year, the T-shirt featured a nice, prominent design on the front, and I was pleased with that. The improvement regarding walkers/runners obstructing the way through Lambeau Field was remarkable this year, as there were huge signs all over the place directing participants on how to make their way through, as well as volunteers reiterating the same instructions. I need to give REALLY big kudos to Sean Ryan and the volunteers for doing such a great job here.

I happened to run into Sean Ryan a month ago by chance after we both made our way off the same plane at Boston Logan Airport. He noticed my 2008 Green Bay Marathon T-shirt, and he struck up a conversation with me about it. Last year's Green Bay was the first of two races I qualified at Boston for, with the other being the Paavo Nurmi. We talked about that and about running in general, and he couldn't have been a friendlier guy. After noticing criticisms last year and seeing how any legitimate beef seemed to be addressed in a much more than satisfactory way this year, I look at the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon as an event to really, really "look out for." It's already a big deal, but I think, thanks to Sean Ryan, its potential is limitless. I noticed there was some issue this year regarding an elite runner falling near the nineteen mile mark, with some sort of mix-up occurring. I read Mr. Ryan's comments in the paper regarding how steps would be taken to prevent such an issue from taking place in the future. Based on Mr. Ryan's track record with issues that inevitably creep up at every race, you can guarantee that the man is ON THE CASE. No race is perfect, certainly not even the Boston Marathon, but I get the sense that Sean Ryan's goal is to make the Green Bay Marathon as close to perfect as is humanly possible. The Cellcom Green Bay Marathon couldn't be in better hands. :-)

Side note: Just as the last mile was to start and I was about to make my "push," a spectator in a car yelled out much-appreciated encouragement to the runners. I waved to them, which provided just enough distraction for me to run right into a cone, causing me to fall on my hands and knees in rather dramatic fashion. Only Steve could get attacked by an inanimate object over the course of a race. I got up immediately and appreciated the kind thoughts shared by the runners behind me, but I was thoroughly embarrassed and picked up right where I left off. I ran the last mile in 6:45, by far my fastest mile of the day. This came on the heels of several sub-par miles, as my hips were killing me and the pain kept getting progressively worse over the last ten miles or so. I experimented a little at Green Bay, seeing as I'd already qualified for next year's Boston, and I started out faster than I should've. Maybe I've hit on a little trick the running experts aren't aware of - fall hard with about a mile to go. :-) So, yes, if your finishing time was somewhere between 3:15 and 3:17, I was the fool who entertained you around the twenty-five mile mark. :-)

Pros:
Running through Lambeau was an experience I'll never forget.
Beer and brats at the finish!
Great crowd support; volunteers were very friendly and helpful.
The medal is my favorite yet.

Cons:
Cotton t-shirt a disappointment.
Start line organization was horrendous.
Green Bay as a town is unremarkable, and the course looked the same throughout (except for the river crossing and Lambeau).
Some pace groups were horridly inconsistent (the 5:00 pacer ran 7 minutes fast).